Following the 2017 playoffs, it looked like the Boston Celtics were really going places. Their 2015 midseason acquisition, Isaiah Thomas, emerged as the Celtics’ franchise player. Each season, Thomas improved his play, and led the Celtics to the East’s top record.
With that, Isaiah Thomas led the Celtics to the Conference Finals, for the first time since 2010. Along the way, he had an amazing 53 point game against John Wall’s Washington Wizards. That offseason saw the front office sign Gordon Hayward, making IT’s Celtics a real threat.
But, in the midst of Kyrie Irving asking for a trade from the Cavaliers, the Celtics took them up on the offer. In order to make the Irving deal happen, Boston traded Isaiah Thomas, despite his MVP-caliber season, which IT took like a champ, seeming happy in Cleveland. During his Sports Illustrated interview, IT did say he didn’t know if he’d ever speak to Danny Ainge, ever again.
Source: Sports Illustrated
